State spending on Ukrainian refugee crisis reached CZK 16.9 billion by end of September

State and local government spending on the Ukrainian refugee crisis amounted to CZK 16.9 billion at the end of September, the Ministry of Finance announced on Twitter on Thursday.

According to Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura, the costs for the whole year are likely to be lower than the initially estimated CZK 25 billion.

Most of the costs, CZK 13.9 billion, were earmarked from the state budget. The largest item in the costs were social benefits, which amounted to CZK 7 billion.

Healthcare costs associated with Ukrainian refugees reached CZK 3.5 billion and accommodation costs CZK 2.4 billion.

According to Czech Labour Office data, more than 120,000 Ukrainian refugees found employment in Czechia by the end of September.